The U.S. is a big country, covers a lot of varied territory from the shores of the East, the plains of the Midwest, the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific coast. One of the greatest freedoms enjoyed by those in the states is the freedom to jump in the car and go anywhere you want within this vast expanse of land. And you can do so generally without threat of harm. In many ways Costa Rica is a microcosm of the U.S. It is like the U.S. wrapped up in a tight little (tropical) package. After all we also have two coasts. We have mountains, flat-lands, etc., etc. Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces, much like the individual states in the U.S. And what is really cool is that here too there is that great freedom of mobility. You can jump in the car and take off to wherever you choose, granted that the ride might be a little bumpier. That is not true in many other places. For instance, I love Colombia. Colombia is an incredible place with mountains, jungles, amazing biodiversity, the Amazon, etc., etc. But in Colombia you cannot just go where you want to go. It is too dangerous. There is war, there are guerrillas, criminal drug traffickers, etc., etc. You can very easily get yourself in a world of @#$% if you go to the wrong place. This is true in many other countries of the world as well, especially in Latin America (take Mexico for instance). But in Costa Rica, if you want to visit some tiny little corner where there are no people, just monkeys, there is nothing stopping you. I really love that aspect of living here, because there is so much to see and do. I have been here for, what, almost eight years, and I would say maybe I have seen, say, 60%. And any given weekend I can throw a dart at the Costa Rican map and take off to parts unknown. It is a refreshing aspect that is a gift of democratic freedom and peace. I wish the people of those places that do not enjoy such freedom could get a taste of it. Maybe then it would take root the way it did in the U.S. and here in Costa Rica. The only thing I see coming from the socialistic movements in places like Nicaragua, Colombia is that the people lose their freedom and generally what is produced is war and misery for everyone. Freedom is the way to go. And it indeed feels “free” to be able to just…….go!
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